"It is no secret that the last few decades of increasing buying and selling of artworks can be summarized as a significant increase in income and wealth."

C. Sybehtos

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"The history of the art market is a relatively simple story. For most of human history, the average person was very poor, and artists achieved very little sustained economic growth to change this condition. However, in the last two centuries, the Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of a new period of constant economic growth that radically changed the condition of the art ecosystem. Rapid advances in productivity contributed to a 30-fold increase in the income and economic prosperity of art producers and their associates.

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During this period, the growth of the artistic sphere has become a global megatrend that has brought with it a series of positive benefits related to increased prosperity, a better quality of life, and good value for money.

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In much of the world today, societies are also significantly better off than their ancestors when measured in economic terms. Artistic-creative growth has led to a significant improvement in the conditions that characterized the 'state of humanity,' when most individuals were trapped by poor health and environment, hard and monotonous work, and malnutrition."

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Christoph Sybehtos

Art Critic and Historian

based on the Megatrends 2022 report
by the Copenhagen Institute

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